Everything about watching a Formula 1 race in the metal is all that you could want from a motor sport event. The noise, the feeling, the smells, the fans, the atmosphere… it’s just the best. Apart from one thing: after the first round of stops, you’ve no idea what the hell’s going on.
Yes, if you’ve shelled out for one of those Koala Bear tellys, or you’re in a box or one of the garages or watching it on TV in your motorhome, then you know what’s happening. But if you’re in a grandstand, then it’s hard to keep track of everyone.

You know who’s in the lead, and you have some idea of the top runners, but it’s very easy to lose touch with who’s exactly where. Especially when the cars are spinning off as much as they were today.

So how about this: LEDs.

At Le Mans, the cars all have three lights on each of their sides. The class leader has one light lit, 2nd place has two and 3rd has three, so you know who’s where.

So let’s do it with Formula 1 too, only as it’s the best of the best, why not cover the whole field?

The cars could each have a small cluster of LEDs just behind the airbox, or some such, that then displayed the position number that each driver’s in.

They could even have the bad weather lights at the back showing the position too – constantly on if the weather’s good, flashing if not – so drivers coming up on a car would know what they’ve got to gain by overtaking the car in front.

It would be a little extra donkey/carrot type incentive when a driver saw a flashing 1 on a car six seconds up the road.

LED numbers should be easy to make happen for some of the brightest brain boxes on earth, and we the punters would all know exactly who was where on track at any given time, just from a quick glance at the car we were interested in.

Obviously, this is just an idea I’ve had, so if you don’t like it, then suggest some of your own. Who knows, if we make enough noise, maybe Bernie and Max will listen?

One of Formula 1’s most drawn-out ‘will they, won’t they’ sagas has finally been resolved ahead of 2014’s season finale. Yep, nearly two months after Sebastian Vettel announced his departure from Red Bull after the chequered flag is waved in Abu Dhabi, it’s been confirmed he swaps Milton Keynes for Maranello. Seb’s off to the […]